Out of the gate: Glenmore fields supe candidates

Cindi Burket and Jane Dittmar both live in Glenmore, and both want to represent the Scottsville District.

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A special election to fill Chris Dumler's seat on the Board of Supervisors could signal a shift within the Scottsville District and give new clout to Albemarle County's largest gated community.

Republican Cindi Burket and Democrat Jane Dittmar both announced their candidacies last week and both live in Glenmore, which has a Keswick address on the northern end of the district. With around 750 homes, Glenmore is larger, newer, and more affluent than the town of Scottsville, which had a population of 566 in the 2010 census.

While Scottsville, the county seat of Albemarle until 1761, boasts a historic district and the James River, Glenmore has a country club, and golf carts are a popular mode of transportation. Home prices in Glenmore start at $400,000 and up, according to realtor and Glenmore resident Tom Pace, compared to Albemarle, which over the past two years has been selling more homes in the $200K range.

Elected officials have traditionally come from the district's southern end, and its two most recent supervisors— Dumler and multi-termer Lindsay Dorrier— have hailed from Scottsville.

It's been a tumultuous year for the district since Dumler was arrested for forcible sodomy in October and pleaded guilty to sexual battery in February. Outraged citizens lined up to speak at the Albemarle Board of Supervisors meetings, and a petition to remove Dumler from office was heard in Circuit Court, where a judge ruled there was not enough evidence to remove him. Days after the decision, Dumler resigned on June 5.

The current interim supervisor, Petie Craddock, who was appointed to the board July 10, will not seek to finish Dumler's two-year term in the November election.

"I thought it really important that someone step forward to calm the waters," says Cindi Burket. "We need honesty and integrity so the Scottsville District can move forward."

Burket, 60, former Albemarle Republican Party chair, was also a candidate for the interim seat, and she unsuccessfully ran for the county school board in 2011.

She moved here in 1997 and says her son is a graduate of Albemarle High. She has a degree in law enforcement and corrections from Penn State, and has a master’s in public administration from George Mason University— educational skills she says are well-suited for serving on the Board of Supervisors.

"All the things that come before the board require thoughtful, informed decisions," she says. "And I have the time to do that."

Burket lists the comprehensive plan, a police rifle range–– she prefers an indoor range— and cellphone coverage on Route 20 as important issues for the Scottsville District.

Although she's a Republican, Burket says she resigned as GOP chair because the Board of Supervisors is a nonpartisan position. "I will represent everyone," she says. "I don't think county issues are partisan."

Democrat Jane Dittmar served nine years as president/CEO of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce. She currently works as a mediator for the Supreme Court of Virginia, and is a founding partner of Positive Solutions Group, a private mediation group.

Although she's never run for office, Dittmar, 57, says she's been involved in politics and was looking at candidates to run for Dumler's seat, but this wasn't a good year for the people she talked to. "I decided to step up," she says. "I think the Scottsville District is a little shell-shocked, and needs a candidate who knows the area, will do the work, is moderate, and has knowledge of the issues."

A UVA grad in economics, Dittmar also may have inherited tendencies toward public service. Her mother, Virginia DeSimone, held national office in the League of Women Voters, and was the league's state president.

Her mother is now 83. "She said if you're ever going to do it, I wish you'd do it so I can be a part of it," relates Dittmar.

Dittmar acknowledges that Glenmore may have its own issues, but says there are district-wide concerns such as the firing range, hunting and trespassing, and local schools. "There are local road issues that sound like real yawners," she says, "but traffic is a real granular issue that's important to people."

Scottsville Weekly editor Bebe Williams says he doesn't know either candidate, and notes that Burket was the only person seeking the interim supervisor seat who signed the petition to oust Dumler.

"I'm hoping a good-quality independent person from the Scottsville side will run against the two Glenmore neighbors," he says. "It's a good chance that an Independent can win this election."

Earl Smith, who gathered signatures to oust Dumler from office, is less concerned about where candidates reside and notes that Glenmore is still part of the district. "You don't have to be in the middle of the district," he says. "That's like saying someone in Lake Monticello can't represent Fluvanna."

Candidates have until August 16 to file for the special election, and the winner will be sworn in immediately after the November 5 election and serve through the end of 2015.

Three other seats on the Board of Supervisors are up for grabs: Democrat Liz Palmer is challenging Republican incumbent Duane Snow for the Samuel Miller District, Dem Brad Sheffield eyes Republican Rodney Thomas' Rio seat, and independents Diantha McKeel and Phillip Seay vie for the Jack Jouett seat.

10 comments

really? August 7th, 2013 | 4:21pm

Live in Glenmore and want to rep Scottsville? Do they know anyone in Scottsville? They sound like a couple of desperate housewives. Part of the district yes but these two are way out of touch with the people they hope to represent.

Harry Landers August 7th, 2013 | 7:51pm

Are you kidding, "really?"? "Scottsville" happens to be the name of a district that includes both the development of Glenmore and the town of Scottsville. The Scottsville district is not the same thing as the town of Scottsville. As the story states, there are 750 homes in Glenmore and the population of the town of Scottsville is only 566. I know nothing about either of these candidates, other than what I've learned from this article, but why would you suggest that they're "out of touch with the people they hope to represent"? It seems to me that they hope to represent their neighbors.

And as for your suggestion that they're "a couple of desperate housewives", that's an outrageously sexist comment. Go back and read about their educational and professional credentials. You wouldn't think of making that kind of comment about men with backgrounds like that. No wonder able citizens are reluctant to get involved with public service through elective office, with these kind of comments being made. For shame.

really? August 8th, 2013 | 9:07am

For shame indeed. These two bored desperate housewives don't know anyone in Scottsville. Let them run on the we rep Glenmore slogan and see how that goes. They should get part time jobs at Monticello or volunteer somewhere. They want to make changes to a community that they know nothing about as well as not knowing anyone in that community. Just a little Glenmore popularity contest for two desperate housewives with too much time on their hands. Shame indeed.

HES August 8th, 2013 | 10:35am

I tend to agree with Mr. Landers, the last 2 supervisors of the Scottsville District came from Scottsville and overall they didn't wholly impress many people. Let some others from within the District give this a shot, they can't do any worse than what's already occurred (Dumler's arrest, etc.). I also like that they are willing to address traffic concerns and yes even cell phone coverage. Rt. 20 is severely lacking in coverage as well as other areas in Southern Albemarle. Scottsville is great, but I'm a little tired of it thinking its the center of the whole Scottsville district.

Catie August 10th, 2013 | 7:09am

really? - crawl back in your sexist, misogynistic, class-warfare hole! Only men need apply to elected office?! Really? So all women in Glenmore are 'desperate housewives with two much time on their hands'? Really? What professional and educational accomplishments do YOU have? Really? How do you possiblly know those two candidates don't know anyone in Scottsville - are you a mind reader?!

You sound like you have a chip on your shoulder the size of a boulder.

Both Stony Point and Glenmore have higher populations than the town of Scottsville; maybe the District should be renamed.

Oxymoron August 10th, 2013 | 10:34am

Someone from a gated community wants to represent the masses?

Tougher Than Tough August 10th, 2013 | 12:23pm

No complaints from this end.

Cvillized August 10th, 2013 | 12:55pm

Dumler from Scottsville? Hardly. He moved to the town in time to run for election from there, then moved out last August to buy a house on Jefferson Mill Rd. He only moved to Charlottesville (not Scottsville) in 2006 to attend law school, and graduated in 2009. Mmes Burket and Dittmar are long-time Scottsville District residents, landowners, and property-tax payers. This makes them personal stakeholders and gives them gravitas.

Cvillized August 10th, 2013 | 1:07pm

BTW, I hope that Mrs Dittmar will stay out of the scripted Democratic Party yarn about "midnight votes" and "transparency". She will get all caught up in that and trip herself up. See, it was a Democratic Supervisor from Scottsville who made the deciding difference on the Bypass vote. He has never recanted, asked for a re-vote, or complained how that vote went down (he was late to the early part of the meeting when they could have voted at 6:15 or 6:30 but he wasn't there), so then after a really long public comments session, the Board had to stay convened to take the vote late in the evening. There was nothing extraordinary about it. If Dittmar continues down this road (tee hee), she will lose the voters. Why? Because 69.3% of the voters surveyed say they favor a Rt 29 Bypass. In 2004, it was only 67%, so after 5 years of anti-bypass rhetoric from the anti-bypass crowd, the pro-bypass approval rating has gone up by 2.3%. This last survey was from a well-known Liberal media outlet and UVA. BTW, only 19.5% opposed the bypass. The Republican nominee Mrs Burket said that she supports the Bypass. Guess who wins this battle.

Roger_O_Vernout August 10th, 2013 | 1:51pm

I think the Dems have really stepped in it this time. They are trying to make the Republican supervisors look like power-mongering, advantage-taking, win-at-all-costs politicians. Reality, however, flies in the face of their assertions. When it came time to find the funding necessary to keep the county government running with necessary solvency, it was a Republican, Duane Snow, who made sure a small tax rate increase passed. When the GOP members were trying to get convicted sex offender and Democrat Chris Dumler to resign, the democrats cried foul and said they were trying to take over the Board without an election. The GOP members promised that wasn't the case, and in the end, they appointed a Dem-leaning independent in Petey Craddock to the Board and not a Republican. For at least one meeting, they had a 3/2 advantage and controlled the Board and they did not oust Democrat Ann Mallek as Chairman. They did not make any partisan votes while they had the clear majority. They kept their word, and did not take any advantage to assume partisan control. The "midnight vote" and "transparency" that the democratic party candidates are singing will come back to haunt them as untrue and disingenuous, and frankly has now made a nice woman like Jane look a little snookered by the political party that runs her.